Courir de Mardi Gras

src: c8.alamy.com

The Courir de Mardi Gras ( French Pronunciation Lousiana: Ãƒ, [ku? I? Ma d? In a French pronunciation: Ãƒ, [ku? Aku? D? Ma? Di? A] ) is a traditional Mardi Gras event held in many Cajun communities in southern Louisiana on Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Courir de Mardi Gras is Cajun French for "Fat Tuesday Run". The rural Mardi Gras celebration is based on an early begging ritual, similar to that still celebrated by mummers, wassailers and Halloween celebrants. Because Mardi Gras is a celebration of the last day before Lent, the celebrities drink and eat heavily, and also wear special costumes, as if to protect their identity. Popular practices include wearing masks, captains, and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, drinking alcohol, begging, partying, whipping, etc. Due to the violent activities associated with the Ku Klux Klan, Louisiana has state laws that prohibit the use of hoods and masks in public. Mardi Gras is one of several occasions when exceptions are allowed, as are Halloween and religious celebrations. The two HBO series (True Detective and Hurricane Katrina themed under Treme ) refer to tradition.

Video Courir de Mardi Gras

Origins

Barry Jean Ancelet, the Cajun historian and head of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Folklore Department, has explained the origins of Courier as being in rural medieval France:

In short, the Mardi Gras state comes from the way Mardi Gras is celebrated in France in the countryside as opposed to an urban carnival. This is an early spring update and is basically a way for people to celebrate and find themselves

These origins are in the medieval customs of Catholic Europe, especially fÃƒÆ'Ã‚Âªte de la quÃƒÆ' Ã‚ Â© mande ("begging party") of medieval France. During fÃƒÆ'Ã‚Âªte , which is a time when begging from house to house is socially acceptable behavior, the joyous person will go to the countryside to visit the household and make offerings. This is similar to other contemporary European traditional habits such as mumming and wassailing that usually occur around Christmas, New Year, and Epiphany. These traditions come from when most of the land and money are held by the upper classes. The poor, at the end of a long winter and lack of food, will gather in groups and walk from the castle to the nobleman's house to demand food from the rich, dancing and singing in return for the generosity of the nobles. The celebration of the medieval French carnival also features contests and races, which may be the origin of chicken pursuits associated with courir . Some of the traditional games have whipped and penitheted as part of their tradition. These traditions are traced back to medieval Flagellants, who will hold a procession through the streets whipping themselves and sometimes the audience to defeat the sin of them. Another tradition related to courir is derived from the European Celtic Pre-Christian folk tradition and is associated with fertility and renewal. Examples include the use of jute and tone whips where the Chanson de Mardi Gras is based, both traced back to Brittany, a Celtic enclave on the northwest coast of France near where the original settlers from Acadia originated. These traditions were brought to North America by European immigrants during the 17th and 18th centuries. In the mid to late 18th century when the Acadian settlers in the Canadian Maritimes were forcibly deported by the British, many went to South Louisiana, completing what became known as an area of â€‹â€‹Acadiana. The Cajuns, as they will be known throughout the world, have adhered to many of their traditional habits, including their language (Acadian French to Cajun French), music, religious dances and festivals such as courir . The determination to maintain their religious customs and beliefs has been a major factor in creating an enabling atmosphere for the celebration of life, or "la joie de vivre," which is very distinctive from the life and culture of Cajun in Southern Louisiana.

Modern revival

Although the tradition never dies, during the 1930s and 1940s it has begun to fade, especially during the era of World War II as many of the participating youth were away serving in the armed forces. During the late 1940s and early 1950s traditions began to be revived and in the 1960s got a big boost with the "renaissance of Cajun", a grassroots effort to promote the unique local food, culture, music and languages â€‹â€‹of the area. In 1993 documentary filmmaker Pat Mire recorded the tradition with his movie Dance for Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras . The imagery of the event is represented in works by local artists such as Chuck Broussard, Francis Pavy, and Herb Roe and in the name and packaging of seasonally brewed beers locally.

The increasing popularity of Cajun music and culture has also led to more non-active attention to the event. In 2011, the NPR Snap Judgment event conducted a series of interviews at one event and courir was used in the storyline by David Simon for his HBO Treme series. In 2014, the HBO crime drama True Detective inserts images of courier participants and creates sect groups whose roots come partly from the rural tradition of Mardi Gras.

Maps Courir de Mardi Gras

Tradition

People escape from ordinary life through alcohol and the role they portray in costume. In the morning riders or runners or Mardi Gras (when troops and individual members are known) gather at the central meeting place. As they gather, Le Capitaine (leader of Mardi Gras) and his captain's companions explain the rules and traditions to follow. Capitaine usually riding horses, wearing robes and carrying small flags. After he set the troops, the bands started playing and he led them on the route. Tradition varies in every city the way it is done. Some cities have people behind horses, some in trailers and some on foot, and others use variations from all three methods. Capitaine was the first to approach the houses along the route, to ask permission to enter their property. At this point, in the spirit of frivolity, the individual Mardi Gras will attempt to sneak into the property. They were held in check by the Capitaines, who occasionally swung the burlap.

This whip is used to maintain discipline during de Mardi Gras courier (Mardi Gras run.) They are used by captains and their co-captains only

The whip is designed to be flexible and does not cause serious damage to the victim, but produces loud noises to build the audience. Participants claim one has not fully participated until one has been whipped. Once they were on the property, the boys played various jokes at the farmers and asked for food for the communal gumbo located at the end of the route. The gift materials are live chickens, which are usually thrown into the air for drunken Mardi Gras to pursue through muddy yards and fields.

La Chanson de Mardi Gras

The song Mardi Gras, known in the local French Cajun as "La Danse de Mardi Gras" and "La Vieille Chanson de Mardi Gras", is a traditional song sung by the participants, although the exact lyrics vary greatly from city to city. The melodies of traditional folk songs are similar to melodies from the Bretons from the northern coast of France. The song is played in a minor mode that is not generally found in other Cajun music. This version is sung at Church Point Courir de Mardi Gras :

And the same song is in English:

The version of the song from Balfa Brothers was included in the 1992 Passion Fish film . Many other musicians have recorded versions of the song, with famous artists being Zachary Richard Steve Riley and Mamou Playboys, BeauSoleil and Cedric Watson.

Costume

Many of the traditional costumes are derivatives of the costumes worn in rural France during the same festivities. The costumes not only hide the identity of the participants, but also enable them to parodize authority figures and the public. Reversal of roles can be used by people who dress like women or rich as poor. The costumes also directly mock the nobles, priests and the educated; swimmers wearing partner hats, mortirboards and Capuchins, which were originally designed to mock the taller hat worn by the noble ladies. These hats are still worn, especially by men. The name "capuchon" comes from the same basic word, "cappa" in Latin, which means a cloak or hood, which gives us "hats" in English and "chapeau" in French. Chaperon (headgear) describes the development of words. The hats were vigorously decorated to match (or deliberately mis-match) the colorful Mardi Gras costumes they accompany. The Capuchins worn by Mardi Gras celebrities really have nothing to do with the pointy cap worn by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), which was established after the American Civil War, and, in fact, preceded the KKK costume by several hundred years.

Initially the costumes were made of old work clothes decorated with the remains of cloth and pieces of material sack material, as many of the participants were unable to purchase the material strictly for the occasion. This leads to a patchwork style that has become associated with the costumes of the event. Costume shirt and pants are made by sewing various pieces of fabric in a patchwork style. The pieces of cloth are cut into fringing, and sewn into the arms, up and down the legs, and on the capuchon. The final effect is the riot of colors and patterns. These costumes are also believed to originate from the Middle Ages. Masks are made by taking a regular wire window screen and attaching a large protruding nose and painting on features like eyes and mouth. The mask is almost visible, but usually not enough to distinguish the identity of the wearer. Many costumes and masks include animal features such as beak, feathers, hair, feathers or tail.

Wearing traditional Cajun Mardi Gras costumes and mask ...

src: c8.alamy.com

Famous Courier Celebration

Every community in the Acadiana region celebrates them taking on traditional Courir de Mardi Gras . Although there are many variations, most still practice a time-honored tradition with Le Capitaine leading masked masks on horses to collect materials to make communal gumbo. Several important examples have gained attention as an important part of the local Cajun culture.

Basile

At Basile Courir was suspended during World War II, but re-established during the 1960s. A provision that allows women to be part of Courir has been around since the 1980s, and they are also allowed to serve as capitaines. Basile Courir de Mardi Gras has a tradition of applying coins (called cinq sous ). The participants approach the observers with open palms in a traditional begging movement, and if that does not work, they will try to dig into the pockets or clothing of the observers as a joke in an attempt to find the coin.

Choupic

Rural Mardi Gras in Choupic involves ritual chases and whips with willow tree branches. Unmarried young men from the age of sixteen or seventeen into their twenties secretly organize runs every year, and they do not express their participation on the run to anyone. After a married man, he voluntarily stops his participation in running Mardi Gras. Traditionally, Mardis Gras is on foot, but today several adaptations have been made, such as the use of pickup trucks and the use of tricycles by some of the participants. Mardis Gras meets early Mardi Gras morning at Possum Square and then climbs behind some pickup trucks to hide. Pickup trucks carry Mardis Gras from one part of the settlement to another where they chase the children in the city, and make them say a Catholic prayer before giving them their prewar whip with a willow branch or sometimes with a flexible fishing pole. Courier Choupic de Mardi Gras is different from other sacrifices because it does not involve chasing or ritual begging or horse use as a means of transportation.

Church Point

In the rural Point Church of Mardi Gras is basically the same as in the early days of the early settlers. In 1961, Elton Richard officially organized the event, which until then was a group of independent and independent individuals. Only men are allowed to participate in the run, and all Mardi Gras should be fully masked and costumed. The Capitaine held his position as leader for year after year, until he decided to release it. He appoints his co-capitain who, like himself, should not be disguised. The Chanson de Mardi Gras at Church Point has unique lyrics. Church Point Courir was held on Sunday before Mardi Gras, a consequence of formal organization in 1961. Elton Richard and Senator Paul Tate of Mamou flipped the coins to see who would have their official courier on Mardi Gras Day. Mamou wins and as a result, Point Mardi Gras Church is on Sunday.

Duralde

In Duralde, an unincorporated village between the town of Mamou and Basile in the southwestern prairie of Louisiana, is one of the Mardi Gras Creole. Participants sometimes wear a "white face", the way Mardi Gras runners dress like "the other" and undo the social and world conventions for a day.

Elton

Elton, Louisiana is a small town in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, 15 miles west of Eunice on US Route 190. Despite being dead for a long time, Elton's courier was revived in the mid-1990s. It follows the same route and the participants sang the same local variation from Chanson as a courier in 1925. The journey begins at sunrise just north of the city and passes the Coushatta Indian Reservation and then heads south back toward Elton. Like many of the traditional Courir, travel is a male affair.

Eunice

In Eunice, the celebration began when the city was first established at the end of the 19th century. It was abandoned for a short time during World War II when many local youths were in the army, but resumed in 1946. About 2,000 participants, both men and women, gathered at the National Guard Armor on the South corner of 9th Street and Maple Avenue on at 6 am, and start running at 8 am. The route is 13 miles (21 km) long. They stopped at the farm along the route and asked for gumbo and called "Cinq-sous pour les Mardi Gras!" or "Nickel for Mardi Gras'!" If material or money is given, they thank the charity with the dance. At 3:00 in the afternoon, the revelers return to the city for the parade along Second Street. In 1997 a new addition was added to the celebration, the world's largest cake cake.

Gheens

Gheens is located between Raceland and Lockport, Louisiana, about 30 miles (48 km) from New Orleans. Every year during their Cajun Mardi Gras Chase, 20,000 people flock to the city of less than 1000 people for the event. Unlike other Cajun Mardi Gras celebrations, the Gheens show features teenage boys and boys dressed like ghosts in pickup trucks. After the morning parade, the group meets behind the local church, where the costumes are worn and the ground rules are laid out by the newly initiated veteran runners. Every newcomer should line up and be beaten by each veteran with long willow branches so they know how bad the switch can get hurt if more use. The runners were given a bell to put on their clothes. They then load onto their trucks and attack the city with their willow switches, looking for the kids. They chase children to "beat the sinful things out of them so they can be clean to lend". Their young victims have the option to fall on their knees in a sorry position and say "Sorry! Sorry!" or make Mardi Gras chase them, often mocking and challenging them to capture and defeat them more.

LeJeune Cove

LeJeune Cove (L'Anse LeJeune in French) is a small rural community about four miles north of Iota. Revived in 2002, LeJeune Cove Courir de Mardi Gras is considered one of the most traditional of all running Cajuns. Only men are allowed to run, according to tradition. The traditional Capuchon and full screen masking is mandatory. Beads are not allowed to be worn by Mardi Gras. Whip whip held by Capitaine and Co-Capitaines to keep every Mardi Gras under control in check. According to accounts published in Crowley Post Signal on January 27, 2002, Courir is from the early days of the L'Anse LeJeune settlement. Mardi Gras rode a horse until after World War II, when the epidemic of sleeping sickness killed many horses. They then climbed behind the truck, until the 1950s, when Courir broke up. After running during the day, there is a traditional dance held, which includes gumbo, music, and drinking.

Mamou

At Evangeline Parish, Mamou's celebrations begin with street dances held Monday night before Mardi Gras, with bands like Steve Riley and Mamou Playboys performing. The crowd's favorite is the Mamou variety from Chanson de Mardi Gras . The next day the street party began, in anticipation of Courir, who had ridden through the countryside collecting ingredients for the night gumbo. The Mamou Courir adheres to an older tradition, with Capitaines unmasked and all other revelers masked in an all-male troupe. They are accompanied by carts for musicians and trailers for participants who do not have horses.

The event was postponed twice in its history, during the American Civil War and during World War II. In the mid-1940s the trader's courier in Mamou has declined but was revived by Alfred Ã¢ â‚¬ Å"FredÃ¢ â‚¬ Tate, Revon Reed, and Paul Tate, the owner of the newly opened Ã¢ â‚¬ Å"Fred's LoungeÃ¢ â‚¬.

Soileau

Running in Soileau, Louisiana is one of the few Courier de Mardi Gras in southwest Louisiana, and is considered as old as the Cajun version. The Soileau rural community lies west of Duralde in Allen Parish, Louisiana not far from Evangeline Parish, Louisiana line. They held a match on Monday before Mardi Gras, with a starting point on Andrew Cezar's magic track. From there they headed to Louisiana Highway 104.

South Cameron

In Creole, a small town in the southern Cameron Parish, the Mardi Gras celebration has been dead for over three decades. This Southwest Louisiana region has been plagued by multiple storms throughout the year, including total destruction by Hurricanes Audrey, Rita, and Ike. As a result, the area has a very small, close, and independent population. This courier was revived in 2014 by a group of indigenous Cameron Parish. The group mainly consists of youths who are veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Some are displaced by hurricanes, live in different parts of the country, and are looking to bring back traditions and traditions to their communities. Mardi Gras travels throughout the countryside with a cattle trailer pulled by a pickup truck. Men and women ride together. Mardi Gras stopped at several homes and businesses in and around Creole town for dancing, drinking, playing tricks, chasing chickens, and collecting materials for their communal gumbo that night. They wear traditional Cajun Mardi Gras costumes as well as modern variations. Two to three guises popping up, Capitaines set up with a whip whip. A do-do Fais follows the gumbo. The courir is held two weekends before Mardi Gras day, however, the dates may change from year to year.

Tee Mamou-Iota

The old tradition of courir in the small community of Tee Mamou has diminished in the late 1960s when new capitans played a role in preserving tradition. The group of all women was founded a few years later. The group of women making their trip on Saturday before Mardi Gras and running men is on Mardi Gras day. Capitane and co-capitanes Tee Mamou use special variations of jute whiskers attributed to couriers. The courier route ends in the nearest community of Iota, Louisiana. Iota has an organized event, with Cajun band and Zydeco playing on the main stage all day Mardi Gras. The highlight of the day was the arrival of the Courthouse Tee Mamou who boarded the city by train after the route passed through the country. The courir then collects on the main stage with capitaine to sing their version of Chanson de Mardi Gras . After this task is completed, Mardi Gras gets down in the downtown area of â€‹â€‹dancing and begs for a loose change.